1)   Cedrus atlantica ‘Aurea’

Native to the Atlas Mountains of Morocco and Algeria, C. atlantica ‘Aurea’ is a slow-growing, conical tree with golden yellow foliage. As the tree matures, its needles turn to a greener color.
Atlas cedars can grow to 120 feet in height, but this cultivar tops out at about half that.
A member of the Pinaceae (Pine family), this specimen is located in the north Pinetum near 26th Avenue East and East McGraw Street. 

Myesa Legendre-Fixx spent the summer as an intern for the Rare Plant Care and Conservation Program (Rare Care). She completed her Bachelor of Science in Biology and Oceanography at UW June 2017.
Working as a Rare Care intern has been a thrilling summer! Over the summer, Ceci and I monitored 17 different plant populations, did 10 seed collections, worked with the US Bureau of Land Management doing rare plant and weed surveys and fire severity assessments of burned areas, improved the seed vault and started almost 500 seeds of Whited’s milk-vetch (Astragalus sinuatus) for an outplanting. 

Thanks to spot on planning and recruitment by our partner, Arboretum Foundation, and cooperative PNW weather, two of our biggest community service events during the year were a huge success!
We celebrated United Way Day of Caring on September 15, when 130 volunteers representing 6 companies; Nordstrom, Sonos, Fred Hutch, Google, IMPINJ, Microsoft and Chase Bank, participated in 7 arboretum projects led by UW Botanic Gardens horticulture and Seattle Parks and Recreation staff. 

UW Farm is now harvesting celeriac, also known as celery root – a great addition to your rotation of fall root foods!

Cecila Henderson spent the summer as an intern for the Rare Plant Care and Conservation Program (Rare Care). She completed her Bachelor of Science at the UW School of Environmental And Forest Sciences in June 2017.
This summer I was lucky enough to work with Wendy Gibble as an intern for Rare Care, and I can hardly express my gratitude for what has been an incredibly rewarding experience. 

The John A. Wott Botanic Gardens Endowed Student Award was awarded this fall to Ryan Garrison, a master’s student in the UW School of Environmental and Forest Sciences.
Ryan was born and raised in Jackson, Michigan. His father’s love of plants and nature, and both his parents’ teaching professions set the foundation for a lifetime of growing plants and appreciating the value of learning. 

The Arboretum is one of the best places in Seattle to enjoy fall color and beautiful foliage. We have more deciduous tree species than any other setting in the northwest…all framed by the majestic conifers that characterize our region of the country.

When it comes to outstanding summer flowering shrubs for PNW gardens, one should not overlook the genus Clethra. Clethra is a genus of about 75 species, mostly native to south and east Asia and the Americas.  It is one of two genera in the Clethraceae, which is closely related to the Ericaceae (Heather family).  They prefer lime-free soil and produce white, fragrant flowers in long racemes or panicles in July or August. 

The water level in Lake Washington dropped an average of nine feet in 1916, when the complete set of canals and locks for increased shipping were completed. Much more land around the edges of Union Bay was then exposed, all of it soft and boggy. The City of Seattle had long used the low spots in various parks as dump sites, which is why artifacts are often found in low areas throughout Washington Park Arboretum. 

1)   Corylus colurna                     Turkish Hazel

This native of SE Europe produces edible nuts inside intricately beaked husks.
This Corylus and other Birch Family members can be found near the terminus of Foster Island Road.

2)   Dipteronia sinensis

Dipteronia is a member of the soapberry family, Sapindaceae, which also includes Acer or maples, another winged-fruited genus.
As fall approaches, the fruit of Dipteronia will continue to ripen to a reddish-brown color.